Helen Parr (The Incredibles)

Helene Parr (née Truax),[1][2] also known as Elastigirl or Mrs. Incredible, is a fictional character who appears in Pixar's animated superhero film The Incredibles (2004) and its sequel Incredibles 2 (2018). Voiced by actress Holly Hunter, the character is a superhero who possesses superhuman elasticity, granting her the ability to stretch any part of her body to great proportions. Helen is introduced in the first film as an accomplished superheroine forced into retirement with her husband Bob (Mr. Incredible) after superheroes are outlawed.

"Elastigirl" redirects here. For the DC Comics superheroine, see Elasti-Girl.

Helen Parr Elastigirl
The Incredibles character
Helen Parr / Elastigirl as seen in Incredibles 2
First appearance	The Incredibles (2004)
Created by	Brad Bird
Voiced by	Holly Hunter (films, Disney Infinity series) E. G. Daily (video game) Ally Johnson (Lego The Incredibles)
In-universe information
Full name	Helen Parr (née Truax)
Alias	Elastigirl Mrs. Incredible
Species	Superhuman
Occupation	Superhero
Spouse	Bob Parr (Mr. Incredible)
Children	Violet Parr (daughter) Dash Parr (older son) Jack-Jack Parr (younger son)
Abilities	Elasticity, master hand-to-hand combatant, expert spy

Development

When designing the Incredibles family, Brad Bird wanted each of their superpowers to be related to their personality. He felt that as a mother, Helen was required by society to be pulled in many different directions, which led to her being given an elastic ability.[3]

Regarding the choice to make Helen the star of Incredibles 2, Bird insisted that it was unrelated with the #MeToo movement, and was instead a choice that came naturally with how the writers wanted to progress the story.[4]

Appearances

In The Incredibles (2004), Helen is seen as Elastigirl in the time before superheroes are banned. She married Bob Parr (Mr. Incredible) and starts a family: Violet, Dash, and Jack-Jack. She gives up her vigilante job to become a housewife while her husband worked. When Bob starts to act sneakily, Helen suspects an affair and confronts him. Later, when she discovered her husband is in trouble, she pilots a jet to rescue him, accompanied by Violet and Dash.

In Incredibles 2 (2018), the main plot of the film involves Helen becoming the face of a campaign to make superheroes legal again by giving them good public relations through successful missions that don't cause collateral damage to the city. Although she ends up becoming Evelyn's victim, she is then rescued by her children, with Helen finally learning of Jack-Jack's first of 17 superhuman abilities. Following that was a showdown on a plane between Elastigirl and Evelyn which resulted in a humiliating defeat, and almost death for Elastigirl.

Powers and abilities

Elastigirl's primary superpower is elasticity, which allows her to stretch various parts of her body to many different sizes. This ability can extend to shapeshifting, as she can use elasticity to change her form and density, as when she morphed into a boat and a parachute. She can achieve superhuman levels of strength, durability, and agility using her elasticity powers. In addition to her powers, Elastigrl is a capable pilot, operative, and tactician, as well as an exceptional hand-to-hand combatant.

Critical reception

Helen Parr in the Pixar Play Parade at Disney California Adventure Park in 2015.

Syfy Wire praised the sequel for making its hero a "kickass mom".[5]

Upon the release of Incredibles 2, there was some discourse surrounding the sexualization of Helen's character. Hundreds of fans on social media described the character as "thicc", a slang term referring to having large buttocks combined with a narrow waist,[6] while The New Yorker likened the character to Anastasia Steele from Fifty Shades of Grey.[7]

References

1. Lorch, Mark, ed. (2017). Secret Science of Superheroes. United Kingdom: Royal Society of Chemistry. p. 151. ISBN 978-1-78262-487-5 – via Google Books.
2. Friday, Wednesday Lee (June 18, 2016). "15 Female Pixar Characters Who Deserve a Feature Film". Screen Rant. Retrieved January 27, 2019. Young Helen Truax, AKA Elastigirl
3. q on abc (June 14, 2018). "Why Incredibles 2 director Brad Bird says cartoons aren't just for children". Retrieved June 25, 2018 – via YouTube.
4. Puentes, Patricia (June 23, 2018). "From Elastigirl to Edna, how Incredibles 2 women kick butt". CNET. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
5. Fleenor, S.E. (June 25, 2018). "Elastigirl finally gets the respect she's due in Incredibles 2". Syfy. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
6. Mallenbaum, Carly. "'Incredibles 2' star Elastigirl is 'thicc': Why that's a good thing". USA TODAY. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
7. Bond, Nick. "Veteran film critic mocked for bizarre 'horny' Incredibles 2 review". news.com.au. Retrieved June 25, 2018.